The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Baby boomers concentrate on keepin’ on during the coronavirus pandemic

I’m working on my book about my journalism career, so these days of staying at home are going by quickly for me. I have plenty of food (and toilet paper) and just found out I can order groceries, expect frozen food, from my local food co-op. I was ready to try Safeway or Fred Meyer thinking eating nonorganic food would be a lesser risk than going to the co-op to shop.

Then, I wrote about the Dirty Dozen, a list of the produce with the highest pesticide residues offered yearly by the Environmental Working Group. Topping the list are strawberries, spinach, and kale. The EWG recommends that whenever possible, consumers purchase organic versions of produce on the Dirty Dozen list.

Raisins, which hadn’t been tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture since 2007, had the most pesticide residues. The EWG recommends eating organic raisins or prunes. Prunes, USDA tests found, had much lower pesticide residues than either conventional and organic raisins.

Meanwhile, boomer bloggers are writing about:

Scammers already eying the money you’re going to get from the federal stimulus

Be alert for scams related to the pending federal stimulus package.

While a deal has been negotiated and the bill awaits final votes and the president’s signature, Congress’ economic relief package proposes to send money to individual Americans due to financial distress caused by COVID-19. These one-time payments could range from $1,200 per individual and up to $2,400 for joint taxpayers, depending on income.

Some Americans may receive physical checks in the mailbox rather than by direct deposit. However, scammers are already using the proposed federal stimulus package as an opportunity to prey on consumers.

Attorneys general tell Facebook, Amazon, and other online retailers to do a better job on curbing price gouging

Thirty-one attorneys general are urging Amazon, Facebook, eBay, Walmart, and Craigslist to more rigorously monitor inflated consumer price practices by online sellers using their services.

“As our community faces an unprecedented public health crisis, I’m asking online retailers to do more at a time that requires national unity,” said Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford. “Together, we need to crack down on inflated pricing so our consumers can get the goods and supplies they need at fair prices.”

A letter sent Monday to the companies lists several examples of inflated prices on their marketplace platforms, which took place in March: on Craigslist a two-liter bottle of hand sanitizer was being sold for $250; on Facebook Marketplace an eight-ounce bottle was being sold for $40; and on Ebay packs of face masks were being sold for $40 and $50.

Baby boomers dealing with the strange new world

Things have changed dramatically for Americans due to the coronavirus. Most baby boomers are sheltering in place and waiting to see what happens next. What will it be? It’s all unknown.

Meanwhile, boomer bloggers are writing about ways to cope with it all. Articles include:

• How to manage anxiety and to meditate.

• The benefits of a stacation.

• The importance of avoiding charity scams.

• A nature walk in the neighborhood to break up self-isolating at home.

• Tips for dealing with isolation.

• New things to try at home.

• Good things that have come from the pandemic.

Carol Cassara of Heart•Mind•Soul writes about these articles in the Best of Boomer Blogs #642. Click here to get the links to the articles. And be sure to join in the conversations. It cheers up boomer bloggers to chat with their readers.

Copyright 2020, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist

Don’t get tricked by a charity scammer during the COVID-19 pandemic

Fraudsters are always busy trying steal your money. When a new emergency comes along, they look in their bag of tricks and repurpose scams that have worked in the past or they dream up something new. With social media reaching so many people and even the ability to text millions, consumers need to alert to avoid be taken advantage of.

To help people make their own wise giving decisions on charities addressing the coronavirus outbreak, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance offers these tips to avoid scams:

FTC bans three defendants from selling student debt relief and telemarketing

Three defendants in a student loan debt relief scheme have been ordered to pay millions to resolve Federal Trade Commission charges that they deceived consumers by promising to reduce or eliminate their student loan debt.

A federal court found that Brian Colombana, Impetus Enterprise Inc., and Fig Tree & Co. deceptively marketed student loan debt relief services, tricked consumers into paying illegal upfront fees, and failed to deliver the promised debt relief.

The court entered judgments against the defendants of nearly $11 million. They’re banned from selling debt relief products and services and telemarketing.

Federal financial agency charges Fifth Third Bank with opening unauthorized accounts and signing consumers up for unapproved products and services

Photo: Ed! (Photography)

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a lawsuit in Illinois Monday against Fifth Third Bank, one of the largest banks in the Midwest.

The CFPB alleges that for several years Fifth Third, without consumers’ knowledge or consent: opened deposit and credit-card accounts in consumers’ names; transferred funds from consumers’ existing accounts to new, improperly opened accounts; enrolled consumers in unauthorized online-banking services; and activated unauthorized lines of credit on consumers’ accounts.

The lawsuit claims that Fifth Third violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act’s prohibition against unfair and abusive acts or practices. It also charges the bank with violating the Truth in Lending Act and the Truth in Savings Act.

The CFPB alleges that for years and continuing through at least 2016, Fifth Third used:

Don’t fall for COVID-19 scams

As usual when an emergency occurs, scammers are taking advantage of fears about COVID-19. They’re setting up websites to sell phony products and using fake emails, texts, and social media posts as ways to take your money and get your personal information.

The emails and posts may be promoting awareness and prevention tips and giving fake information about cases in your neighborhood. They also may be asking you to donate to victims or offering advice on unproven treatments. In addition, the emails and posts also can contain malicious email attachments.

Colleen Tressler, consumer education specialist for the Federal Trade Commission, offers these tips to help you avoid scams:

California funeral homes that hide prices are charging more than homes that disclose prices, study shows

California funeral homes that use a legal loophole to hide prices tend to charge more for basic services than funeral homes that prominently disclose prices, a study showed. For example:

• For the basic services fee, the $1,835 median price of price hiders was 36 percent higher than the $1,348 median price of price posters.
• For direct cremation, the $1,695 median price of price hiders was 31 percent higher than the $1,295 median price of price posters.
• For immediate burial without a casket, the $2,595 median price of price hiders was 37 percent higher than the $1,900 median price of price posters.

“Many funeral homes charging high prices use a legal loophole to hide these prices from the public,” said Josh Slocum, executive director for the Funeral Consumers Alliance. “The California legislature should close this loophole so that consumers can comparison shop among all funeral homes.”

It’s National Consumer Protection Week

This year’s National Consumer Protection Week is March 1-7. It’s an opportunity for consumers to learn about their rights as consumers, help them make well-informed decisions about money, and provide tips to avoid scams.

Here’s some NCPW activities this week:

All week

Follow USAGov (@usagov) on Instagram for quick, shareable consumer tips throughout the week.

Watch “The Impostors: Stealing Money, Damaging Lives,” a two-part webinar hosted by AARP. You’ll learn about the most-reported imposter scams, how to recognize one, and what to do if you think you’ve encountered a scammer.